Chapter Twenty-Two: Dreaming of the Dead
The vermin camp was quiet. The moon shone bright over the dying coals in the fires. Death was near for one beast, but he didn't know it. Two stoats, one full of rage and hatred, the other full of fear and woe, stood around the sleeping figure of a ferret. His rusty colored fur was brown against the night. One stoat, the one full of rage and hatred, lifted a small poisoned dagger. Silently, she moved her paw close to the victim's throat.
"Goodbye, Kotaro," she whispered. The other stoat closed his eyes tightly. He didn't see anything happen, but he heard the dreadful noise of dagger against throat. He shivered, and whimpered. "Quit yer whimperin', Gabeye. The task is done. All we need to do is wait for the precious Dingea wakes to find his master dead." She cackled loudly, and fell silent. She looked around mysteriously, rubbing her paws together. Then she stood up. "That was too simple."
"Did you want it to be hard, marm?" Gabeye said, looking terrified at Kotaro's body, lying just how it was, with a huge gash in his neck. He gulped.
"No, it was fine, just it. Never mind!" She handed the dagger to Gabeye, and patted him on the back. "Good work, ombre." She left Gabeye in the tent. He was staring, transfixed, on the body in front of him. He heard a yell. "Guards!" Gabeye gulped as two strong looking ferrets walked in. Zema walked in after them. "Kill him. He killed Lord Kotaro!" The guards slayed him on the spot, leaving his body to lie by Kotaro's. "Kotaro said that if he was ever to die, then I would become ruler of this horde. Got that?" she said, grabbing the ferret.
"Yes, marm," he said in a gruff voice.
"Get outta my sight!" The two guards scrambled out. She looked at the two lying dead on the ground. She laughed to herself. "Hehe. Nighty night, Kotaro." She left the tent, and went back to her own to sleep.
That night, and odd dream came to Zema. There was Kotaro. He smiled kindly at her, almost like nothing had happened to him.
"Good work, Zema. You have done well. I knew that you were planning this, and I knew my time had come to give up my spot. You have won it, fair and square. Take the horde, do what you please with it. Or maybe you don't want the horde, maybe you just wanted to kill me."
"I wanted the horde, but now I don't know what to do with it," Zema replied, looking down at her footpaws.
"Do what I was going to do. The only reason I planned that was so you could do it. I trust you, Zema, fulfill my dreams of taking over Redwall Abbey. Oh, it would have been fun to rule, but you would be far better than I."
"Why's that, sire?"
"Hoho! There is no need to call me 'sire' now, is there? Only time will tell the secrets of the dead." He smiled at her, and left. Then Gabeye appeared.
"Well, that wasn't very nice, marm. Going around killin' innocent stoats."
"I'm sorry, Gabeye. 'Tis in my blood to kill for no reason. Kotaro said so."
"You talked to Lord Kotaro?"
"Yup. And you'll get to talk to him a lot, 'cause yer both dead."
"Wow! I'm very greatful that you killed me. Now I get to spend the rest of eternity with Kotaro. I've always looked up to him, you know."
Kotaro's voice boomed through the sky, "Oh, help me!"
"Oh, pipe down, ya piece o scum!"
"Zema, Zema marm. Are you OK?" Zema was wakened by her guard, Chiiro.
"Huh? Wha.? Where am I? Where's Gabeye and Kotaro?" She looked around.
"They're dead, marm."
"Oh, yeah. Is it dawn yet, Chiiro?"
"S'been dawn for a while, marm. Sorry I didn't wake you earlier," the guard said apologetically.
"S'ok, Chi. So, what's for breakfast?"
The vermin camp was quiet. The moon shone bright over the dying coals in the fires. Death was near for one beast, but he didn't know it. Two stoats, one full of rage and hatred, the other full of fear and woe, stood around the sleeping figure of a ferret. His rusty colored fur was brown against the night. One stoat, the one full of rage and hatred, lifted a small poisoned dagger. Silently, she moved her paw close to the victim's throat.
"Goodbye, Kotaro," she whispered. The other stoat closed his eyes tightly. He didn't see anything happen, but he heard the dreadful noise of dagger against throat. He shivered, and whimpered. "Quit yer whimperin', Gabeye. The task is done. All we need to do is wait for the precious Dingea wakes to find his master dead." She cackled loudly, and fell silent. She looked around mysteriously, rubbing her paws together. Then she stood up. "That was too simple."
"Did you want it to be hard, marm?" Gabeye said, looking terrified at Kotaro's body, lying just how it was, with a huge gash in his neck. He gulped.
"No, it was fine, just it. Never mind!" She handed the dagger to Gabeye, and patted him on the back. "Good work, ombre." She left Gabeye in the tent. He was staring, transfixed, on the body in front of him. He heard a yell. "Guards!" Gabeye gulped as two strong looking ferrets walked in. Zema walked in after them. "Kill him. He killed Lord Kotaro!" The guards slayed him on the spot, leaving his body to lie by Kotaro's. "Kotaro said that if he was ever to die, then I would become ruler of this horde. Got that?" she said, grabbing the ferret.
"Yes, marm," he said in a gruff voice.
"Get outta my sight!" The two guards scrambled out. She looked at the two lying dead on the ground. She laughed to herself. "Hehe. Nighty night, Kotaro." She left the tent, and went back to her own to sleep.
That night, and odd dream came to Zema. There was Kotaro. He smiled kindly at her, almost like nothing had happened to him.
"Good work, Zema. You have done well. I knew that you were planning this, and I knew my time had come to give up my spot. You have won it, fair and square. Take the horde, do what you please with it. Or maybe you don't want the horde, maybe you just wanted to kill me."
"I wanted the horde, but now I don't know what to do with it," Zema replied, looking down at her footpaws.
"Do what I was going to do. The only reason I planned that was so you could do it. I trust you, Zema, fulfill my dreams of taking over Redwall Abbey. Oh, it would have been fun to rule, but you would be far better than I."
"Why's that, sire?"
"Hoho! There is no need to call me 'sire' now, is there? Only time will tell the secrets of the dead." He smiled at her, and left. Then Gabeye appeared.
"Well, that wasn't very nice, marm. Going around killin' innocent stoats."
"I'm sorry, Gabeye. 'Tis in my blood to kill for no reason. Kotaro said so."
"You talked to Lord Kotaro?"
"Yup. And you'll get to talk to him a lot, 'cause yer both dead."
"Wow! I'm very greatful that you killed me. Now I get to spend the rest of eternity with Kotaro. I've always looked up to him, you know."
Kotaro's voice boomed through the sky, "Oh, help me!"
"Oh, pipe down, ya piece o scum!"
"Zema, Zema marm. Are you OK?" Zema was wakened by her guard, Chiiro.
"Huh? Wha.? Where am I? Where's Gabeye and Kotaro?" She looked around.
"They're dead, marm."
"Oh, yeah. Is it dawn yet, Chiiro?"
"S'been dawn for a while, marm. Sorry I didn't wake you earlier," the guard said apologetically.
"S'ok, Chi. So, what's for breakfast?"